The Race
by The Golden Authors
Summary: Gumball and Darwin go camping, but get tangled up in a mishap involving a cult, Mexico, and a reward for whoever can find these two kidnapped children.


**This Chapter was written by **_**YprocKcid**_** with contributions made by **_**Roman Empire**_** and **_**Story Writing Guy**_**.**

_**The Race**_

"All right now, before we go, do we have everything?" asked Gumball.  
>"Yep!" answered Darwin.<br>"Do we have a first-aid kit?" Darwin has the first-aid kits in his hands. It opened and the contents spilled out.  
>"Got it!" said Darwin as he picked up the bandages.<br>"Sleeping bag?" Darwin patted the fishing bowl tied to his hefty backpack.  
>"Yeah, and I've got mine too."<br>"Matches and a flashlight?" Darwin grabbed a bundle of match sticks in his hands and then threw them in the air. He picked them up from the ground.  
>"We got that too."<br>"How about the bug spray, sunscreen, and our raincoats?"  
>"We've got everything Gumball! Let's go now!"<br>Gumball and Darwin were preparing to carry out a rite of passage that all little boys must go through in order to rightfully enter the glorious realm of Manhood; they are going camping. By themselves.  
>It will be the greatest adventure they will ever have in their natural born lives.<br>"I'm so excited Gumball!" said Darwin. He jumped into the air with his arms waving. "We're finally going camping!"  
>"I know buddy, our twelve months of planning are gonna pay off."<br>"Wow. Its been a year. Where has the time gone?" Darwin placed a fin on his chin, reminiscing.  
>"Well," Gumball looked at his hand and counted. "we spent that first half trying to convince Mom and Dad that we're responsible and mature enough to go alone."<br>"I remember that, it wasn't easy."  
>"Yeah," agreed Gumball. "and then we had to raise the money by ourselves to get all the supplies we need."<br>"Right. And we spent this whole week learning survival skills."  
>"We are so ready for this." They picked up their heavy backpacks and high-fived.<br>"Should we say good bye to everyone?" asked Darwin.  
>"Mmm...Nah, we'll only be camping for a week. They won't even notice we left in the first place."<br>So with that being said, they exited out of their room, they looked back at it before actually leaving. They walked down the stairs and saw their father, Richard, focused on the T.V. And not paying his kids any attention. Gumball and Darwin went out the front door.

On the streets, Gumball and Darwin walked together, giddy and excitable over their upcoming camping experience. A crow flew above them with a screaming Anton in its claws.  
>"What are we gonna do first when we get there?" asked Darwin.<br>"We should set up the tent first, that's important."  
>"And then what?"<br>"It's going to be lunch soon, so maybe we can find some wood, start a fire, and then we can roast some marshmallows."  
>"Awesome! I didn't know you packed marshmallows."<br>"I put them in your backpack." Gumball flipped open a small pocket that was on the side of Darwin's backpack. It revealed a bag of marshmallows. "There wasn't any room left in mine."  
>"Oh. OK." Gumball closed the pocket.<br>They continued to walk, until they've reached the town's limit. They heard a song, soft at first but then the volume increased. Coming at Gumball and Darwin on the long and winding road was the ice cream truck. The truck screeched to a stop when it got near the two boys.  
>The window on the side of the ice cream truck showed that the interior is pitch black. No one knows what could be happening inside.<br>The two tentacles of the ice cream man came out of the window, so incredibly long that they rested on the road in a big heaping pile. Red eyes glowed, peering at the brothers.  
>"Hello children!" cheerfully said the ice cream man.<br>"Hi ice cream man!" said Darwin.  
>"What brings you here so far from home?" curiously questioned the ice cream man.<br>"We're going camping." answered Gumball.  
>"Camping, huh? Do your parents know where you are?"<br>"We're going camping by ourselves." said Darwin. "For a whole week."  
>"Oh really? Do you have enough stuff to last you an entire week?"<br>"Yep."  
>"Interesting. So you're doing this alone? Isn't that dangerous?"<br>"We're grown men." explained Gumball, he puffed out his chest to prove this fact. "We can take care of ourselves."  
>"Yeah, we're grown men!" Darwin, not having a chest, puffed out his cheeks.<br>"You're men? Kids grow up so fast these days. Hey! How about we celebrate with some ice cream?"  
>"Sorry sir." said Gumball. "But we can't have any."<br>"We have to depend on ourselves. We can't have anyone give us food."  
>"We're learning to be self reliant."<br>"Oh? Well, what if I said that the ice cream is free? Wouldn't you want just a little bit then?"  
>"Free ice cream?" asked Darwin. His eyes sparkled at the prospect.<br>"Yep."  
>"Whoo Hoo!" Darwin runs to the truck.<br>"Darwin stop!" said Gumball. Darwin stops. "I'm disappointed. We already have food."  
>"But it's free!" argued Darwin. "Can you remember the last time we got free ice cream?"<br>"Listen to your friend, kid, this is an once in a lifetime opportunity."  
>"Come on Gumball. Don't you like ice cream?"<br>"You know I do. But men don't accept charity. Come on Darwin. Let's go." Gumball started to leave.  
>"OK..." Darwin started to followed.<br>"Wait! Would you have some ice cream if you spent money on it?"  
>Darwin called out to Gumball. "Would we?" asked Darwin.<br>"I didn't bring any cash with me, did you?"  
>Darwin pointed to his green sneakers. "I put some in my shoes!"<br>"You did?"  
>"Yeah! So can I Gumball?"<br>"Fine. If you really want it that badly."  
>"Yay!" Darwin skipped over to the truck, to the ice cream man. His flaccid tentacles suddenly gained a brand new energy within them and begun to arise. In a quick sequence, the tentacles wrapped up Darwin's body when he got too close to the truck. The tentacles thrashed Darwin about, making him feel extremely queasy. One of his sneakers fell off.<br>"Gumball!" cried Darwin. "You have to help me!"  
>"You didn't see anything!" said the ice cream man to Gumball. He then slammed Darwin to the asphalt and forcibly dragged his face across it, making some of Darwin's scales tore off. Darwin stopped crying for help and the ice cream man took him inside his truck.<br>"No! Darwin!" Gumball jumped into the window and into the darkness of the truck. "Darwin, where are you?"  
>The red eyes glowed fiercely in the blackness, but perhaps that is simply because the ice cream man was so close to Gumball's face. The ice cream man had more tentacles than Gumball ever thought. Tentacle punched every part of his body, not leaving any area safe. Two tentacles, one coming to Gumball's left and the other coming from his right, punched his ribs, making him feel like his organs are going to spew out of his mouth. He fell down.<br>A tentacle picked him up, puts him in the back with the ice cream. Darwin lied there. The ice cream man placed Gumball down next to his brother. Another tentacle came along with rope. The two of them are tied up together. The ice cream man tied up the knot very tightly, hurting the two of them even more.  
>When the truck's engine turned on, Darwin wakes up. He spoke to Gumball.<br>"What's happening Gumball?" whimpered Darwin.  
>"I don't know."<br>Darwin looked around their surroundings, he didn't see anything. He felt the rope around him and Gumball, he felt the coldness making him shiver, he felt Gumball breathing down on him. Darwin tasted blood in his mouth. Darwin nuzzled Gumball with the top of his head, wanting someone to comfort him.  
>"I'm so scared."<br>"Me too, buddy."  
>"What's going to happen to us?"<br>Gumball didn't answer him this time, he was crying. He was crying right in front of his brother and showing him how afraid, how powerless, how pathetic, how childish and unmanly he was. Darwin cried too.  
>And then he threw up. Gumball would try to shake it off of him, but he didn't have the strength to do anything right now but cry.<br>"Shut up back there!" shouted the ice cream man. "This is gonna be a long drive and I don't want to deal with you any more than I absolutely have to!"

They cried more softly, they cried until they've lost the power to even do that anymore. They looked out the small window to notice it was almost dark out before they finally went to sleep.


End file.
